How do consumers engage with fashion, as a routine aspect of everyday Research Paper

How do consumers engage with fashion, as a routine aspect of everyday life - Research Paper Example oduction and display of new and emerging fashion styles, innovative and engaging consumers and their selections, and the urge to express the spirit of the times (Pink, 2001). Core in defining fashion is the interaction of fashion products, their distribution and the manner in which they are consumed. Several theories have been postulated to explain fashion, its momentum and influences on everyday life. Most of these theories envisage the expanse and distribution of fashion as a movement or trickle from one level or aspect of life in society to another (Felski, 2000). This trickle is viewed as being diffused from the center to the edge in either a hierarchical or horizontal manner. These perceptions of fashion trickle led to the three theories of fashion; the trickle-down, trickle-across, or trickle-up theories. In the trickle down theory, fashion movement is based on a hierarchical society, which supports the upward movement of fashion among social strata (Felski, 2000). According to this theory, people at the top of the societal strata are offered and accept a fashion styles and brands first. The style is then gradually accepted by those in lower strata. In other terms, this theory envisages a situation in which lower strata people seek to copy the affluence of upper strata people in society. Such consumers seek recognition and try to distance themselves from the lower cadre groups, where they actually belong. Those supporting the trickle-across theory feel that fashion runs horizontally among groups on the same social level. There is this little, if any lag time between the time of adoption by one group and another. In this theory, designers have prices for all the social levels. The reasons for which this theory is preferred include promotional or advertising benefits to designers, manufacturers and retailers, rapid mass communications benefits and exposure of design to all fashion levels and sectors (Pink, 2001). In the trickle up theory, the newest of the

Evaluate the main energy options currently available in the UK Essay

Evaluate the main energy options currently available in the UK - Essay Example In order to effectively source energy from the available means, machineries or end-use equipments such as turbines, motors and hydro-machineries among others are used at huge quantities. Contextually, in a majority of instances, a substantial quantity of primary energy is reported to be wasted due to inefficient design of machineries or equipments utilised to generate energy. From a general perspective, energy sources can be categorised in two broad sections, i.e., the primary or non-renewable sources of energy (such as natural gas, oil, coal and conventional nuclear power) and renewable sources of energy (such as wood, plants, geothermal sources, tidal wind and wave energy) (Crown, 2009). Notably, the United Kingdom is considered as one of the leading nations constituted with a large variety of renewable energy sources. The UK is also considered as a major production house of offshore wind energy where more than 700 wind turbines have been already launched (Committee on Climate Chan ge, 2011). Based on this context, the paper will aim at identifying and discussing the various energy options currently available in the UK. The Main Energy Options in the UK Wind Energy In the year 2011, the UK installed wind power of about 5.7 gigawatts. The nation is considered as one of the leading producers of wind power all over the world. In the UK, wind power sources are continuously developing in terms of its production capacity, which is further expected to increase by more than 2 gigawatts in the next five years. To be specific, wind power is considered as the second largest source of energy within the UK. In the year 2010, the UK wind industry was reported to have already installed several types of on-shore as well as off-shore wind energy production turbines. For instance, medium-sized UK wind-energy production companies such as Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm, Robin Rigg Wind Farm and Thanet Off-shore Wind Farms among others have been deemed eligible for government g rants. It has further enhanced their financial capabilities to install advanced technologies in order to generate more than 1.1 gigawatts of electricity per day. It is worth mentioning in this context that the wind-energy producing farms in the UK distribute electric power primarily to the manufacturing industries. In the next five years, the government of the UK is expecting to obtain 960 gigawatts of electricity on a yearly basis from this energy source (DONG Energy Power, n.d.; E.ON UK plc, 2012; GL Group, 2010). Energy Obtainable Through Tidal-Waves Apart from the wind-energy sources, the UK also has the capability to produce electricity from ocean waves by utilising the tidal power. In February 2007, the UK had established its first wave farm which was categorised as one of the world’s leading producers of electric energy from tidal currents of the ocean. In the UK, on a yearly basis, it has been observed that this particular energy source can generate more than 3 megawa tts of electricity through its four different types of Pelamis machines. In the UK, ocean currents are used to produce energy principally in two regions i.e. England as

How Has Twitter Changed Communication Research Paper

How Has Twitter Changed Communication - Research Paper Example Analysis of timing, content intensity of occurrence, and the range of use in semiotics in the students’ tweets for curriculum change, is carried out using the approach of case study. The findings of the research were that about 40% of the tweets were positive about study groups conducted. Of the study groups, micro blogs about 42% had semiotic expressions about study group sentiments. In these, more than 60% were encouraging and the rest were posting critics about the study groups. Analyzing the micro blogs use of semiotics for composition and organization, the language composition of tweets approximated the language patterns of natural linguistic expressions. Findings show that, semiotics’ use in micro blogging is a tool used online for students’ word of mouth expressions. A discussion that schools should use the micro blogs as part of their education curriculum corresponded to this fact. The definition of social network is: â€Å"Websites which enable persons to create a free or communal profile bounded by specific rules of a system, be able to see a list of other bloggers who they share something in common and be able navigate through their list of links and those created by others bloggers within the structure†. The temperament and structure of semiotics usually varies from one website to another. (Boyd D, 3). For a website to be developed, collaboration and the community are extremely vital characteristics and are the prime features of virtual reality and social network. These combined with the ever- present online internet access, people who were at some point had parallel lifestyles and cultures are constantly connected. An enquiry concerning the overall effect of these social networks platforms has to be done. This paper uses semiotics to investigate the bond between students and the administration in improving the level of study groups in an institution. Given that twitter has very distinct features and characteristics, it h as potential to have an impact on relations, which is a key factor to improvement in students study groups and their grades in a subject. There is no doubt that Social networks are unique because they let people convene strangers and helps users to control and increase the chances of their social networks noticeable through opening of profiles. The result is that, individuals who would not otherwise be friends are connected. More often than not, this is not the main reason but these connections are usually between â€Å"latent ties† of persons who have a connection outside the Web (Haythornthwaite). On a larger scale, people who are in the social networking systems are neither â€Å"networking† nor interested in looking for new friends, but rather are making contact with people who an inclusion of their elongated social network. The expressed social networks are stressed upon as being a significant organizing characteristic by being labeled â€Å"social network sitesà ¢â‚¬ . While the social network structures have a vast variety of technical features implementations, their strength of character consists of profiles that can be seen and display an expressed list of friends who also use the system. Profiles are usually distinct pages that a person can â€Å"proclaim into being† (Sunden, 17). Main body In the near past, people usually work from eight in the morning to five in the evening every day. Nights and weekends were usually left for family

Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry Research Paper

Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry - Research Paper Example This "Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry" essay describes how the invention of the Internet and the growth of illegal music downloading and file sharing changed music market. Despite being a lucrative business, on average, Verderber, Verderber and Sellnow highlight that musicians earn peanuts annually with no additional benefits. This irony emerges from the fact that some other people infringe or steal and distribute copyrighted music illegally thereby decreasing the music sales. In their argument, music companies state that free and unlimited downloading of music has led to the violation of their rights. These industries suffer lose not only in terms of money but also in effort and time. Apart from individuals, record stores also contribute to the menace of promoting illegal music download. The record stores benefit through selling ad space on their walls and gain profits. Such profits play a significant role of paying musicians for their work thereby reduc ing incurred expenses. Additional arguments by the music companies reveal that burnt CDs containing favorite songs by the consumers cost a great deal of money since each CD would only contain (a) particular song(s) (Essaylib para3). For the musicians, recording contracts include obtaining advances and loyalties from recording companies. Advances are provided to musicians prior to the recording releasing. In the case of the recording earning sufficient money, the recording company recovers its money for the advance paid out. Conversely, little music sales mean the recording company has to call off the loss. In order to avoid loses, recording companies are forced to offer lower advances to musicians and fire some of their employees to cut down costs like in BMG and Sony music. In terms of loyalties, artists are paid for each song

Critical Book Review Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Book Review - Term Paper Example All that is left is a glimmer of the origins from where their values and ethics had held their foundation. Through examining five different critical reviews, the substance of this novel will be analyzed for its rich ethnic content. The lives of the four women whose stories are highlighted enrich a story that is first of women, then of the cultural influences that created their personal stories. Their stories reveal the gap between themselves and their daughters, children who have grown up in a very different world than that from which their mothers came. The Joy Luck Club, first published in 1989, represents a door that was open into American literature to female Asian writers by the 1976 publication of Maxine Hong Kingston’s memoir, The Woman Warrior. The Joy Luck Club sold 275,000 hard-cover copies and widened the door for Asian female fiction so that within two years, four more Chinese American writers had books published that were selling very well (Cliffnotes, 2010). The initial setting of the book is within a social group called The Joy Luck Club, a group of four women who play mahjong. The book was made into a movie in 1993 starring an ensemble cast of some of the finest Asian actresses in Hollywood. Gloria Shen (2009), in her critical review of The Joy Luck Club, discusses the theme of mother/daughter relationships within the novel. In examining the relationships between the women, she focuses on the narrative style, stating that the narration is not one story, but is divided into sixteen individual stories that are told from the point of view of those characters that each story represents. According to Shen, this narrative style is more conventionally associated with novels from the 19th and 20th centuries, giving the work a contemporary nostalgic style (p. 3). The exception to this point of view style is the story that is told about Suyuan Woo, who has died before the

Christmas carol Essay Example for Free

Christmas carol Essay Set in Victorian England Dickens A Christmas Carol famously shows a transformation of the character of Ebenezer Scrooge he is portrayed as a tight fisted old man. Scrooge ends up repenting with the help of the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits. The last stave celebrates Scrooge enjoying Christmas e. g. I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. In this essay I intend to explore in detail, the variety of ways Dickens uses to show the development of Scrooges character Stave 1 In stave 1 we see Scrooge presented as an old, grumpy and selfish man. Jacob Marley, his business partner, had recently passed away on Christmas Eve. Scrooge attended the funeral but on the same day Dickens tells the reader that Scrooge went back to work, where he gained an undoubted bargain. This shows that Scrooge is more interested in money than his business partners funeral. The first words at the start of stave 1 are, Marley was dead Dickens had to make this abrupt point to make it clear Marley had died to prepare the reader for the fact that his ghost can come back. Charles Dickens uses a narrator, to both describe Scrooge and to judge him. The more the narrator describes Scrooge the angrier he seems to become and the harsher he speaks of him e. g. when he exclaims that Scrooge is a tight fisted hand at the grindstone Scrooge! he then uses a long list of adjectives to emphasise the meanness in scrooge and how he is prepared to hurt others deliberately so that he can be more wealthy. These are: A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. The narrator also makes it clear that scrooge is self-contained and as solitary as an oyster. This is a simile. This may imply that Scrooge is a cold creature protected by his own hard shell, but in the interior he may have the ability to create a beautiful pearl this may be saying that scrooge has the ability. This may be saying that scrooge also has the ability of creating something beautiful and long lasting. No warmth could warm, nor wintry weather chill him. The narrator is saying that Scrooge is unnatural in some ways and the weather doesnt affect him however hot or cold it is. Even the blind mans dog stays away from Scrooge. This tells the reader even the natural world knows that he is a man to be avoided and feared. Dickens uses contrast to highlight Scrooges character at this stage. On page 4 Scrooges nephew comes to meet Scrooge He greets him with a Merry Christmas. Scrooge then replied bah humbug, which shows Scrooges disbelief in Christmas and his sullenness. Later Scrooge asks, What reason do you have to be merry? Your poor enough. This shows that Scrooge bases his happiness only on wealth Scrooge then had two visitors. They were portly gentlemen who ask Scrooge if he will donate money for the poor and destitute Scrooge didnt give them anything. This shows how tight fisted and selfish Scrooge is. Scrooge suggests to the men that work houses and prisons are the place where the poor should go, Scrooge is showing that he does not believe he has any responsibility to help others. This was a common attitude in Victorian England, which Dickens wants to challenge. When Marleys ghost appears for the first time he suspects the ghost is a figment of his imagination. He tries to hide his fear of it by assuming it is an upset stomach which is causing these disturbing images. However when the ghost speaks he begins to believe it is true. The arrival of the ghost disturbs him. The ghost tells him he is going to be visited by three spirits. Scrooge takes this news and replies to it as a chore or menial task. The ghost speaks of why he is weighed down by chains and shackles. He told Scrooge these chains represent all the bad things he did in his life. He also told scrooge that he had a similar chain but longer. His reaction to this is of disliking. He doesnt like what he hears. He asks the ghost to speak comfort to him, but the ghost cannot speak comfort to him because he has done nothing good or pure in his life. His greed and loathing for everything has turned him into an evil bitter man who has no time for friends of family and he is heartless to his employee Bob Cratchit. Now Scrooge has had a terrible warning about what may come to him if he does not change his ways. Stave 2 Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas past in stave 2 who takes him back in time to see his childhood. This is a very effective way of enabling the reader to see how Scrooge was when he was younger and bring the reader to understand why Scrooge is so mean and to show he hasnt always been like that. Scrooge is shown sitting in a classroom on his own while all the other children have gone home for Christmas. This is because Scrooge and his father didnt get on very well and his father didnt want him home for Christmas. We know this because his sister comes to take Scrooge home one Christmas and she says father is much kinder than he used to be Charles Dickens uses this to show the reader that scrooge was very used to being alone and this might explain why he is so solitary when he grows up. This would have had a great affect on Scrooge at an early age and could be the reason why he is so cruel, mean and bad tempered. At this point the reader starts to have some sympathy for Scrooge and care about his future life. The first change in Scrooges personality is when Scrooge looks back at his younger self and is reminded of the carol boy he saw earlier that night. He feels guilty for not giving the boy anything. We can tell this because he says I should have liked to have given him something thats all. This is the first example of kindness and regret we see from Scrooge, reinforcing the point that Scrooge is not completely heartless and cold and shows he is able to change. Dickens involved Scrooges sister fan to remind Scrooge of his nephew because they are similar generous characters. We can see that Scrooge cared about fan. This may be a sign that there is the potential that Scrooges view of his nephew may also change. Dickens next includes a visit to Fezziwig, Scrooges old employer. This is to show a contrast between how scrooge as an employer treats Bob Cratchit and the way Fezziwig treats Scrooge. Whereas Fezziwig threw a party for Christmas. Bob Cratchit had to ask Scrooge for the day off and Scrooge was still reluctant to give it to him. We can see that Scrooge liked Fezziwig by his reaction when he first saw him. He exclaims, Why its old Fezziwig alive again. This makes Scrooge think of Bob Cratchit. He says I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just know. Again Dickens involves this episode to show that a change in Scrooges personality is possible.

A Profile of United Nations Children’s Fund

A Profile of United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations Children’s Fund â€Å"We believe in a world where ZERO children die of things we can prevent.   The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) that was started by the United Nations in 1946. UNICEF is non-profit and works to prevent childhood death by improving the healthcare, education, and nutrition of children around the world. They also provide emergency relief to those in need. Their reach is international and their goal is to have zero children die from preventable causes (UNICEF). On December 11, 1946 the â€Å"United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund† was started by the United Nations General Assembly. Its creation coincided with World War II in order to bring food and medical care to war-torn children in Europe, the Middle East, and China. The name was shortened to United Nations Children’s Fund in 1953 when it was made a permanent fixture of the United Nations System (UNICEF USA). Despite its name change, the fund kept the acronym UNICEF; which is still in use today. In 1965, the United Nations Children’s Fund won the Nobel Peace Prize for ‘the promotion of brotherhood among nations.† (UNICEF). In its 68 year history there have been many famous UNICEF Goodwill ambassadors including Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Chan, Shakira, David Beckham, Audrey Hepburn, Danny Kaye (first celebrity ambassador), and the entire Manchester United Football Club (Borgen Project). UNICEF focuses its energy in more than 190 countries, including the United States (UNICEF). In order to conduct their humanitarian operations they have established offices worldwide. Major operations are carried out through these offices in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. Additionally, there are programs and trainings there year-round. The United States Fund for UNICEF is located in New York City, and is the main U.S. office for UNICEF. The U.S. Fund works in cooperation with the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help UNICEF achieve the goal of zero preventable child fatalities (UNICEF USA). The United Nations Foundation in DC, Friends of UNFPA in New York, and the International Peace Institute in New York are other associations in the United States that help fund UNICEF projects (UNICEF). UNICEF has a number of programs to help raise funds for their causes. One of the most popular UNICEF fundraisers is Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Since the 1950’s over $170 million dollars has been raised by children for children through the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. The premise of the program is that when kids go door to door on Halloween that instead of asking for candy, they ask for spare change to donate to UNICEF. Not only does this raise money for UNICEF to use towards helping children, but it also teaches the children doing the fundraising the value of helping others (Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF). A newer campaign that they have implemented recently is the UNICEF Tap Project. This project raises funds to give those in need clean drinking water. It works by having people stay off of their phone for as long as possible, and the longer they are off of their phone, the more money that gets donated by a 3rd party company, Giorgio Armani (UNICEF). None of the funding for UNICEF comes from the assessed dues from the United Nations; instead their donations come from individuals, NGOs, foundations, governments, and corporations (UNICEF). For the 2011-2012 Fiscal year UNICEF had a total income of $3,866 million. When broken down fifty-seven percent of donations came from the government, and 32 percent was raised by NGOs and members of the private sector. UNICEF is known for being a reputable charity that uses a majority of its income for its cause. Of the total income $3,416 million dollars went to development, $322 million went to management, $127 was for special purposes, and $2 million was for United Nations development coordination (Charity Navigator). There are a number of ways that individuals of all ages can get involved with UNICEF’s mission. Young children can help through programs like Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF (Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF). High school and college students can join clubs that are dedicated to raising money for UNICEF. Adults, with at least a bachelor’s degree and experience in certain fields, can even personally volunteer with UNICEFs missions. Another way that anyone can be involved is by monetary donations made to UNICEF or one of its funds (UNICEF USA). One of the most prevalent causes of preventative childhood death is starvation. UNICEF battles childhood hunger in many ways including giving children peanut paste and micronutrient powder. Peanut paste is a high-energy therapeutic food. It works well because it is high in calories and does not require any preparation or refrigeration. Like its name suggests the micronutrient powder contains many vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy growth and development in children. It also improves immune function and helps prevent disease (UNICEF USA). For only $10 UNICEF can distribute 321 packets of micronutrient powder. UNICEF helps infants who suffer from malnutrition by teaching mothers the benefits of breast feeding. Breast fed children are six times more likely to survive the first few months than children who are not breast fed. Also, UNICEF still helps provide food in emergencies such as natural disasters (UNICEF). Along with helping fight childhood malnutrition, UNICEF also improves children’s lives by providing healthcare, clean water, and educational supplies. More than one third of the world’s children have received a vaccination or immunization thanks to UNICEF. They have also helped 1.8 billion people have access to clean drinking water. If there are not drivable roads UNICEF will deliver supplies by bicycle, boat, and even donkey when necessary. They are well trusted and have even made cease fire agreements to get to children in war zones (UNICEF USA). In the 68 years since it was founded, UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization. They are extremely dedicated to helping lower child mortality rates, and have been successful so far. A number of their programs work with children from birth to help end childhood malnutrition. Their work has reached billions of people in the last seven decades and will continue to in the future. Works Cited Charity Navigator Advanced Search.Charity Navigator. UNICEF, n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. Help Children | Humanitarian Aid Emergency Relief | UNICEF USA. UNICEF USA. United States Fund for UNICEF, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. UNICEF. United Nations Childrens Fund, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. UNICEF | United Nations Childrens Fund. UNICEF. United Nations Childrens Fund, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. UNICEFs First Celebrity Ambassador, Danny Kaye The Borgen Project. The Borgen Project RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.